How farmers can work together to their mutual benefit
It is being organised by Teagasc, which warns that Irish farm structures have been deficient for some time in terms of age profile, farm size and skill set.
In 2010, the age profile of Irish farmers was 55 years and only 6.2% of all farmers were under 35 years.
Teagasc claims these deficiencies pose a threat to farm viability.
They also limit the options for taking advantage of the many growth opportunities in coming years.
However, it says greater use of collaborative farming arrangements can help redress the current deficits and help deliver on the ambitious targets in Food Harvest 2020.
The types of collaborative farming arrangements to be covered at Thursday’s conference in Clonmel Park Hotel will include registered farm partnerships.
Also to be covered at the conference are contract rearing, dairy, and other types of share farming.
Thomas Curran, Teagasc Farm Structures Specialist, said collaborative arrangements can provide real solutions to current issues on Irish farms.
